Nagdhunga Tunnel Passage achieves breakthrough; Tunnel Road plays significant role in road connectivity, says PM

Kathmandu / April 15: The breakthrough of the Nagdhunga Tunnel Passage has been made today. The Nagdhunga Tunnel Passage is considered a significant project to take Nepal towards an era of tunnel roads.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ today switched on the electric control for the breakthrough of the tunnel from both the Dhading and Kathmandu sides. The tunnel connects Sisnekhola of Dhading to Totipakha of Chandragiri municipality-1 in Kathmandu.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Raghubir Mahaseth and other government senior officials were present on the occasion.

Likewise, federal lawmakers and Province Assembly members were there to witness the breakthrough ceremony.

According to the Project, the tunnel road will come into regular operation for traffic after a year. Its total length is 2,688 metres. The breakthrough in the evacuation tunnel was undertaken last Saun (July-August, 2023).

However, it will take some time to fix lights, and oxygen pipes and upgrade the road inside the tunnel, it is said. The total cost of the Project is around Rs 22 billion. It is being developed by the Japanese company Hazma Ando Corporation.

Tunnel Road plays significant role in road connectivity: PM Prachanda

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said the construction of tunnel passages has a significant role in the enhancement of road connectivity.

In his address to a ceremony organised to mark a breakthrough of the Nagdhunga Tunnel Road today, the Prime Minister said the achievement is significant in the area of infrastructure development.

This kind of road connectivity will play a crucial role in meeting the national goals for promoting interconnectivity for convenient and affordable travel, for promoting geographical and democratic closeness, and for maintaining provincial balance in terms of development, according to the Prime Minister.

As he said, the government will pursue a policy of prioritising the construction of tunnel passages, flyovers, and underpasses along the national highways to establish advanced road connectivity.

Similarly, the government head took time to say that the latest economic indicators suggest hopes in efforts to achieve prosperity.

He claimed that the revenue collection is improving. The reduction in fuel imports with the promotion of electric vehicles, noticeable progress in cement export, a rise in exports of corrugated zinc sheets and steel, a rise in the arrivals of tourists, and the expansion of housing and apartment businesses outside Kathmandu Valley has spread a positive message to the economic sphere.

PM Prachanda called one and all to create a wider hope for advancing toward the establishment of good governance, social justice, and prosperity by overthrowing the pessimistic narrative that nothing will happen.

The Prime Minister also expressed his hope that the Third Investment Summit that Nepal is hosting on April 28-29 will explore the potential for investment in Nepal’s development in the international forum. RSS